LightSeed Energyaims to send 2000 solar lights to children in Zambia who lack access to electricity. To do this, they are busyraising $30 000 via an Indiegogo campaign, which is open to anyone worldwide to support. Having these lamps will enable students to study at night, improve their educational and economic prospects, and to improve the welfare of their communities. LightSeed Energy aims to lift communities out of poverty and to improve the health of people and our environment by bringing reliable and affordable solar energy to Africa.

This project is the first step in an energy revolution in Africa, where LightSeed Energy will provide solar lighting to every needing African by 2030. After showcasing the benefits of solar lighting with its initial charity project, LightSeed Energy will operate a business in Zambia to sell solar lighting systems, while recycling the revenue in the local economy and creating sustainable jobs. This collaboration with local entrepreneurs and communities will ensure the sustainable longevity of LightSeed Energy in Zambia, as well as the rest of Africa.

How LightSeed Energy was founded

When co-founder Michael Pietrzak worked in a refugee camp in Malawi five years ago, he was invited into a man’s home. He still remembers that it was so dark inside, he could not see the man’s face from five feet away, even in the middle of the day. Michael could only imagine how much worse this would be at night and how difficult his own life would be without light. He researched the problem and learned that 1.4 billion people worldwide live without electricity. When he decided to do something about this, LightSeed Energy was born.

Solar lighting in Africa and Sustainable Energy for All

LightSeed Energy provides solar energy to African communities without access to electricity. Eighty-five percent (85%) of Africans, or 580 million people, live without access to electricity. Families are forced to use traditional fuels like kerosene for lighting at night. Not only is kerosene harmful to the environment, the indoor air pollution it causes is on track to kill more people in Africa than tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS. These fuels are also very expensive for families, taking as much as 25% of their income.

Many of the families that LightSeed Energy will be targeting in Zambia will never be connected to national electrical grids. LightSeed Energy offers a solution to circumvent this problem. By using small-scale solar lighting systems, African families can give themselves the benefits of light without having to resort to expensive and unhealthy options.

LightSeed Energy’s plan to scaling-up efforts in supplying renewable energy in Africa is also in line with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’svisionfor making ‘sustainable energy for all’ a reality by 2030. The UN’s ‘Sustainable Energy for All’ global initiative aims tomobilize actionfrom all sectors of society in support of three interlinked objectives:

providing universal access to modern energy services;

doubling the global rate of improvement in energy effiiciency; and

doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

How to support LightSeed Energy in sending 2000 solar lights to children in Africa

Be part of the movement to lighten up homes and families’ lives by providing access to solar energy in Zambia. Your contribution of $30 can light up one family’s home and your donation will provide students the opportunity to study at night with a healthier and more sustainable solar lamp.